57 hurt as New York ferry hits dock

At least 57 people were injured, 11 of them seriously, when a commuter ferry struck a dock in New York City's financial district during the morning rush-hour, officials said.

PUBLISHED: 15:40, Wed, Jan 9, 2013

An injured ferry passenger is carried to safety (AP) [PA]

A corner of the vessel was ripped open, and passengers said people fell on each other, screaming and crying.

One witness said that, moments before the accident, a ferry employee had mentioned that the boat had recently had trouble with manoeuvring. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Passengers on board the Seastreak Wall Street ferry said scores of people who had been waiting to disembark were hurled to the deck after a routine trip across New York Harbour.

"We were pulling into the dock. The boat hit the dock. We just tumbled on top of each other. I got thrown into everybody else... People were hysterical," said Ellen Foran.

Firefighters were still carrying people away on stretchers an hour after the crash. The most seriously injured person had a severe head wound from falling down the stairs. Most injuries were minor.

More than 340 passengers and crew members were on board the ferry from New Jersey, one of many which carry commuters to the island of Manhattan.

Dee Wertz was on shore waiting for the ferry and saw the impact. She said she had been talking with a ferry employee about how the boat's captains had been complaining lately about its manoeuvrability.

"He was telling me that none of these guys like this boat," she said. "It was coming in a little wobbly. It hit the right side of the boat on the dock hard, like a bomb."

The ferry, built in 2003, had recently undergone a major overhaul which gave it new engines and a new propulsion system, but officials said it was too soon to tell whether they played any role in the crash.